1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to chemical reactions in which hydrogen peroxide is used either as a reactant or catalyst. More particularly, this invention relates to hydrogen peroxide reactions where the reactant media does not normally solubilize or effectively disperse the hydrogen peroxide.
Hydrogen peroxide has found a wide number of uses including bleaching, oxidation or organic and inorganic compounds including the manufacture of organic and peroxide chemicals, and use as a space propellant. It has also found use in the petroleum industry in the sweetening of sour oils containing oxidizable sulfur compounds.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Although the use of hydrogen peroxide in various reactions is well known in the prior art, a distinct disadvantage exists from the inability of hydrogen peroxide to sufficiently disperse in many reactive medias with the result that necessary intimate contact for reaction is not achieved. This adverse phenomenon is particularly apparent in oleophilic systems such as hydrocarbon refinery streams, in which hydrogen peroxide is only minutely soluble under ordinary conditions. This disadvantage of the prior art is overcome by utilizing the method of the present invention in which hydrogen peroxide is incorporated into a micellar dispersion which in turn acts as a carrier for dispersing the H.sub.2 O.sub.2. These micellar dispersions are well known in the art as miscible flooding agents in the secondary and tertiary recovery of oil, as oil well stimulants, etc.